Starting with small initial goals, e.g. $50 a week, allows you time to become familiar with the survey process and learn the business. Plus it takes time for the survey company to process your work and get you paid.

An important point to remember here is that this is just the starting point. Even though a goal of earning an extra $50 a week may seem small, it is an important first step on the path to larger pay days.

The other thing to remember is that these small initial baby step goals are very achievable, which allows you to have a win and build momentum. Remember, you are learning how to do something new and any new skill takes a little bit of time to become proficient at.

Don’t settle for your initial goal.

Learn to revise your goals regularly, e.g. once a month. This will help you keep on track and you move you towards your much larger extra income goals.

Also remind yourself regularly of why you are doing this, e.g. paying off debt, buying that special purchase, or what ever you wanted to achieve from earning an extra income. Regularly reminding yourself of this will keep you motivated.

Most experts advise writing your goals down on paper. Also make sure to have them visible in a place where you will see them daily e.g. on the fridge, on your desk, etc.. This will help focus your energies and keep you moving.

A lot of literature has been written on goal setting. Here is a link to one resource I found particularly helpful. By learning to become great at goal setting you can achieve anything you want in a time frame you would have never thought possible.

The final step is probably the most important one.

Don’t Reinvent the Wheel

Chances are that anything you would like to do or achieve these days, someone else has already done it.

I’m a strong believer in the old saying, “Success leaves clues”. Meaning there is a science or process behind being successful.

It is rare that successful people gets to where they are purely by chance. It is more likely they gained their success by following a certain principles and doing certain activities.

The great thing for us as a beginner paid surveys participant is that other people are already making good money for completing surveys. They have already spent the time researching which surveys are the best, so that we don’t have to.

Through make money taking surveys we can now leverage their experiences so that we can be earning the most money in the least amount of time while avoiding the pitfalls.